The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory Friday from noon until 8 p.m. for much of Central Texas, including Bastrop, Travis and Williamson counties. Temperatures are expected to get up to 104 degrees. Those high temperatures will continue into the weekend, and more heat advisories are expected.
In response to the heat, the City of Austin and Travis County are opening cooling centers this weekend for those in need of temporary relief from the hot weather and those who don’t have access to air conditioning.
Here's a rundown of where to go to escape the heat this weekend.
Cooling centers
Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH) is serving as a cooling center and is open Monday through Sunday from 8 a.m to 6 p.m. The lobbies of the Travis County Community Centers are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Below is a map of the community centers.
Most City of Austin recreation centers will be open as cooling centers during regular business hours this weekend. The Dittmar, Gus Garcia and Montopolis recreation centers and the Asian American Resource Center will have extended hours of operation.
Here’s a full list of centers and their hours this weekend:
Saturday, July 9
- Gus Garcia Recreation Center: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Givens Recreation Center: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- South Austin Recreation Center: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- Dittmar Recreation Center: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Austin Recreation Center: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- Hancock Recreation Center: 9 a.m. – noon
- Northwest Recreation Center: 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Cantu/Pan American Recreation Center: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Montopolis Recreation Center: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Virginia L. Brown Recreation Center: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Dougherty Arts Center: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- George Washington Carver Museum: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Asian American Resource Center: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, July 10
- Gus Garcia Recreation Center: 12:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- Givens Recreation Center: noon – 4 p.m.
- George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center: noon – 4 p.m.
- South Austin Recreation Center: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- Dittmar Recreation Center: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Austin Recreation Center: noon – 4 p.m.
Pools
The City of Austin is still struggling recruiting and hiring lifeguards this season and has not opened some of its public pools as a result. There are still more than two dozen public pools and splashpads currently open. A full list of public water spaces can be found on the city’s website.
